My name is Steve Roller, and I fell in love with Ecuador and its people on my first trip in 2011.

For four weeks that summer, Emida and the kids and I had the adventure of our lives! We enjoyed it so much, we went back for nine weeks in 2014.

This time we explored the country even more, made good friends with a number of Ecuadorians, and got connected with a local church.

My Spanish got back to almost fluent again, and I got to play tour guide for my parents when they came down for 14 days. They loved it, too! It was a magical time for all of us.

In 2016 I returned to Ecuador for my third trip to the Land of Eternal Spring. I was wondering if the excitement of Ecuador would wear off now that it wasn’t new to me anymore. It didn’t.

I spent ten weeks in Quito by myself, along with a side trip to Baños, mostly to write my book. That’s what I told Emida anyway. The other reason was to escape the Wisconsin winter.

The great weather, the quiet pace even in a big city, the healthy food, and the beautiful people all combined to make it a trip of a lifetime. I improved my Spanish once again, and got to know Quito especially like the back of my hand.

Hundreds of people followed my trip on Facebook, and I had lots of people say, “Wow! Amazing trip! I’d love to go there sometime.”

That’s why I decided to host and lead the 2018 Ecuador Excursion. I wanted to share my passion for Ecuador, my second home.

The 14 tour participants on the inaugural Excursion had a great time! I realized I loved leading the tour, and I plan to keep coming back, again and again.

I want to give you the same experiences I’ve enjoyed, and see what everyone who came along in 2018 raved about.

This will be a trip unlike any you’ve ever done, and one you’ll never forget. I promise.

I look forward to having you.

Emida is not only my wife, she’s my right-hand woman who keeps me organized, on track, in the right place at the right time, and headed in the right direction (she would tell you I’m sometimes directionally challenged).

She’s also the official trip photographer and videographer. In 2014 she captured our Ecuador adventures in a series of nine weekly videos, edited to precision and matched with the right music, some of which got tons of views on YouTube.

If you want some great shots to put on Facebook to make your friends and family wish they were here, she’ll help you.

Emida also knows and loves Ecuador like I do, speaks Spanish a bit (she learned from scratch on our first trip) and is a joy to be around.

In addition, my good friend, Nixon Chamorro Melo, will becoming along on the entire trip as our “insider connection.”

Nixon is a native Ecuadorian and has lived here his whole life. He knows the country inside and out, and speaks fluent English along with Spanish, which makes him theperfect translator (better than me, and able to get better deals since he’s a local).

In fact, he owns and operates the best language school in the country– the Golden Gate Academy of Languages in Quito. He and his staff teach a dozen languages there, and Nixon will be including some “Survival Spanish” lessons for all of us on the Ecuador Excursion.

Nixon will act as our local concierge, transportation director, and inside connection. He’s a fun guy, extremely knowledgeable, and eager to help me make this a fantastic trip for you.